Ristene’s Journey

3 weeks ago, Ristene was at work speaking with a patient on the phone when her tongue spasmed to the back of her mouth and her speech started to slur. She immediately put her patient on hold and attempted to express to her Co workers what had just happened. It was unexplainable.  What was thought to initially be a bout of Bell’s palsy was later discovered on MRI to be a Paraganglioma.  This is a rare form of an endocrine brain tumor. This effects Ristene’s cranial nerves 9,10,11 and compresses her Jugular vein otherwise known as the “main brain drain”.  Physicians in Missoula have been diligently coordinating care. The tumor is intracranial and extracranial meaning inside and outside of the skull. This leaves Missoula surgeons no choice but to outsource the surgery to a larger more specialized hospital probably in Seattle or Salt Lake.  There are already multiple pending medical bills related to her diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis and the cost of an extensive specialized surgery, travel, further testing etc. is going to continue to accumulate. Right now Ristene and her family need your support in any possible way.
Please pray for Ristene and her family as they walk through this Journey. God Bless!!!